The political crisis deepened in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday as two more cabinet members — Finance Minister Abdul Majeed Khan and Food Minister Chaudhry Akbar Ibrahim — resigned in protest against Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq, citing serious differences over governance and policy decisions.

Their resignations follow that of Information Minister Pir Mohammad Mazhar Saeed, who quit three days earlier, bringing the total number of resigned ministers to three.

Addressing a press conference in Muzaffarabad, the two ministers said they could “no longer work with Prime Minister Anwarul Haq,” accusing him of signing an illegal agreement to abolish 12 reserved seats for Jammu and Kashmir refugees in the AJK Legislative Assembly.

They said the move violated constitutional provisions and vowed to challenge it in Pakistan’s and AJK’s superior courts.

The ministers added that they had written letters to President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to intervene in what they called a “dangerous political conspiracy.”

The dissenting ministers also accused the AJK prime minister of attempting to create a rift between Pakistan and Kashmir, claiming he was “directly responsible for undermining the unity between Pakistan and its jugular vein — Kashmir.”

They further rejected the agreement recently reached with the Awami Joint Action Committee (AJAC), terming it unacceptable and demanded that Prime Minister Anwarul Haq resign immediately.